


Inside a Grid

by isquinnabel



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Crossover, Gen, Magic and Science, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-04
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-17 16:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/869364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isquinnabel/pseuds/isquinnabel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A creative mind is thrown into a world of cold logic when Vanessa Pike receives a mysterious letter, offering her a place at the Salem Witches Institute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inside a Grid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucida/gifts).



> Originally written for the Fandom Stocking gift exchange at LJ, for Christmas 2011. Title comes from Science vs Romance by Rilo Kiley. Thanks to ozqueen for the beta, and to lucida for the squeeful response <33

John and Diana Pike were perfectly used to strange happenings in their house. Unusual things were very usual in an eight-child household, and they had a high tolerance for the unexpected.

However, one could forgive them for feeling thrown on the day Vanessa's letter arrived.

A nice man in a nice suit came to the door, piles of papers tucked under his arm, and explained to John and Dee that their fourth child had a place at the Salem Witches Institute. He made arrangements to procure her books, a wand, and a whole host of other confusing items, informing them of the school's transport procedures and protocols. He was courteous and kind, and very understanding of their bewildered inclination to think it was an elaborate practical joke.

But it wasn't a joke. When the summer drew to a close, one of Stoneybrook's eleven-year-olds was unexpectedly missing from the halls of Stoneybrook Middle School.

And that was how their two eldest daughters ended up attending Massachusetts boarding schools.

\---

Pale and scared, Vanessa began her magical education amid a hoard of other young witches. Her subjects were complex and difficult, and she made it through the strangeness of it all by pretending they were just regular science classes. She worked as hard as she could and earned decent grades, with only the occasional reprimand for excessive daydreaming in class.

She spent vacations at home, and these were usually filled with curious questions from her family about what exactly she _did_ at that school. She quickly grew tired of talking about boring spell theories and international standards for potion ingredients. Also, she wasn't quite sure how much detail she was allowed to give to her muggle family. But her brothers and sisters just couldn't get enough. She had to enlist her mom and dad's help to lock up her wand; it was illegal to use it on vacation anyway, and who knew what damage the triplets could do if they got hold of it? Obviously, they wouldn't be able to channel any magic, but they might break it. And wands were expensive.

Still, she loved spending vacations with her family. Each time school recommenced, her heart would sink to her shoes. She left her home, a world of whimsy and fun, and returned to a world of hardline practicality. 

\---

Once Vanessa entered the Institute's high school wing, she had far greater freedom. The best advantage of these new privileges was being able to spend the occasional Saturday in Boston, arranging to meet Mallory in some coffee shop or other. Vanessa conveniently forgot to tell her sister about the city's wizarding district, so they always met somewhere in muggle Boston. Somewhere Vanessa wasn't allowed to talk about school or magic.

"Tell me about your play," she eagerly requested one weekend.  
Mallory grinned. "It's great. I finally finished the dialogue for the second act, and the art girls have these fantastic set designs."  
"Did Sarah like the monologue you wrote for her?"  
"She loves it. Maybe too much, she keeps spouting lines at me when I'm trying to write."  
Vanessa took a sip of coffee, listening happily to Mallory's creative woes. They spent hours on her tendency to be a word-choice perfectionist, and the difficulty of bringing together a student-run play.

\---

That night, Vanessa abandoned her Arithmancy homework in favor of writing a poem.

She sat by the window for hours, but the words just wouldn't come.


End file.
